From Evil Sect Leader to Doctor

The Slender Gold Script emphasizes the arrangement of the characters and the overall aesthetic. When writing, one must consider not only the beauty of each character but also the arrangement and layout of the entire work. Before starting, the creator has already considered the whole picture, using reasonable arrangement and exquisite layout to present a transcendent beauty.

In fact, any calligraphy requires the unity of the whole and the parts, but it is more challenging for the Slender Gold Script to achieve this well.

After Xu Chunliang started writing, the scene was silent. Needless to say, Ye Qingya was impressed, Ling Hongzhou felt amazed, and He Wanying felt as though she had just finished a greasy dish, and now finally someone offered her a cup of refreshing tea to cleanse her palate. It’s not about failing to recognize talent, but rather fearing comparison.

It’s not that Ling Hongzhou’s writing is bad, but her writing is full of craftsmanship, no matter how skilled, it still cannot escape the artificial taste. Xu Chunliang’s calligraphy is not filled with craftsmanship but with artistry; each character is full of divine charm. Xu Chunliang’s strokes are nimble and swift, the strokes slender and strong, thin yet full, each stroke exuding elegance. Combined, they produce an indescribable vigorous beauty.

Xu Chunliang displayed his skills to the fullest. This slender, brisk, and sharp Slender Gold Script requires extremely high calligraphy skills and cultivation, along with a calm and serene mindset to accomplish. Each character stands alone, yet it strangely feels to the onlookers as if an invisible thread connects everything seamlessly from beginning to end.

Everyone’s eyes were focused on Xu Chunliang’s work. After he finished the final character, the scene remained completely silent.

Ye Qingya’s eyes sparkled, she had once read that a master of calligraphy, even though each character may not be connected, each character seems to be linked by divine power. Xu Chunliang should have reached this level.

After a while, He Wanying gently said, "Jianming will definitely like it."

Ling Hongzhou pursed her lips, turned and glanced at her works hanging around, feeling ashamed from the bottom of her heart. Although she had many pieces on display, not a single piece of calligraphy could surpass this young man’s "Ink Plum Blossom."

Xu Chunliang smiled and said, "I have embarrassed myself by showing off before all of you here."

He Wanying was the first to leave, and when she left, she took this piece of "Ink Plum Blossom" with her. She had high taste; actually, Ling Hongzhou had also prepared a piece to give to He Wanying, but after Xu Chunliang presented his, she felt embarrassed to bring hers out. With such a gem in front, anything inferior would only be laughed at.

Ye Qingya also declined Ling Hongzhou’s subsequent invitation, merely saying she had other plans for lunchtime.

Back in the car, Ye Qingya said, "I hope my senior sister doesn’t think I brought you over to disrupt her event."

Xu Chunliang laughed and said, "I didn’t intend to embarrass myself, but you just had to push me out there."

Ye Qingya suggested they visit the Dongpo Stone Bed. Xu Chunliang knew it was nearby the Hidden Dragon Mountain, close to the art gallery, so he drove towards Hidden Dragon Mountain.

When He Wanying returned home, Wang Jianming was cooking. Their son was already in high school, currently staying at a boarding school in Capital City, excelling both academically and personally, so the couple didn’t need to worry about him.

Wang Jianming peeked out from the kitchen: "Wanying, I thought you weren’t coming back for dinner."

He Wanying replied, "There were so many people at noon, if I attended that meal I’d have to socialize, which I don’t like, so I came back."

Wang Jianming said, "It’s nice you came back, try the noodles I made."

He Wanying smiled and said, "You rest, I’ll do it."

"Oh, you look down on me?"

"How dare I? Who in Dongzhou would dare look down on Secretary Wang?"

Wang Jianming laughed and said, "You dare, and you have the right to."

He Wanying said, "Come here."

Wang Jianming said, "Yes!"

He Wanying mysteriously said, "I have a gift for you, guess what it is?"

"Isn’t it calligraphy or painting?"

He Wanying said, "No fun, couldn’t you play along?"

Wang Jianming laughed and said, "We’ve been married for so long, what’s there to pretend? Didn’t your classmate give you calligraphy or painting because she needed you for something?"

He was very perceptive, even though he hadn’t seen Ling Hongzhou many times, but he didn’t have a great impression of her. However, Wang Jianming trusted his wife to handle these relationships well, so he never interfered in her social activities.

He Wanying said, "Take a look first."

Wang Jianming said, "Not surprising at all, don’t we already have two pieces at home? Her calligraphy and painting skill is just average, I think her calligraphy isn’t as good as yours."

He Wanying laughed, "Alright, I can’t compare to her. She’s professional and an official member of the Calligraphy Association."

Wang Jianming said, "Her writing is too crafty, overly showy, lacking sincerity."

He Wanying said, "It’s strange, your viewpoint aligns with his."

"Who?"

Wang Jianming came out with clean hands, took the calligraphy piece He Wanying handed over, and was instantly captivated by it.

This "Ink Plum" he was very familiar with; it was his motto while in office. In the past, he often wrote it himself, He Wanying also wrote it, and calligraphers looking to please him had gifted it to him. However, all the past works combined couldn’t compare to this one.

Wang Jianming was sure Ling Hongzhou didn’t have such skill; only someone with a certain integrity could produce such writing. Wang Jianming looked at the signature, murmuring, "Xu Chunliang, this name sounds familiar."

He Wanying said, "Mei Ru Xue’s ex-boyfriend."

Wang Jianming suddenly realized, "I remember now. Wasn’t the marriage alliance between the Qiao and Wang families ruined because of this young man?"

He Wanying said, "I saw him in person today, an exceptionally outstanding young man, no wonder Mei Ru Xue liked him." She took off the apron from Wang Jianming and tied it around herself.

Wang Jianming said, "I promised to cook."

He Wanying said, "With me here, you should stay out of the kitchen. The smell of grease and smoke can affect your judgment. I’ll take care of the household, and Secretary Wang takes care of the public."

Wang Jianming laughed, "How did you meet this Xu Chunliang?"

He Wanying said, "It’s a long story. Ye Qingya brought him over, and, today, Qiao Rulong also came by. I always feel there’s something going on behind this. You won’t think I’m gossiping, right?"

"I love hearing your gossip!"

Xu Chunliang took Ye Qingya to the Dongpo Stone Bed on the western slope of Hidden Dragon Mountain. It’s said Su Dongpo once drunkenly slept on this stone, hence the name. On the thirty-meter-wide, five-meter-high cliff stone wall, there are two groups of thirty-four inscriptions. The first group of inscriptions is on a three-meter-long, one-point-eight-meter-wide, one-point-three-meter-thick natural platform, with the characters "Stone Bed" engraved onto it. It’s said this stone is where Su Shi drunkenly lay, and on the nearby cliff face, nine inscriptions including Su Shi’s poem "Climbing Hidden Dragon Mountain" have been carved.

The second group consists of twenty-five inscriptions from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Ye Qingya, after looking at them, felt a sense of disappointment, sighing, "These carvings are not as good as those by Master Tonghui of Du Yun Temple."

Xu Chunliang said, "You can’t say that; they still hold some historical value."

Ye Qingya pointed at the four large characters "Pillow Stone Lying Cloud" and said, "These four characters are somewhat tasteful."

Xu Chunliang said, "A bit of an exaggeration. This Tuo Long Mountain is just a small hill; without a doubt, a pillow stone, but talking about lying on clouds is far-fetched."

Ye Qingya said, "The most famous would be Zhang Jichao’s ’Pillow Stone Lying Cloud.’ You might not know him, but his son is quite famous—the ’Golden Lotus’ novel commentator Zhang Zhupo."

Xu Chunliang laughed, "I’ve only heard of ’Golden Lotus’ being a famous restricted novel."

Ye Qingya gave him a slightly reproachful look and said, "Zhang Zhupo’s main contribution to the commentary on ’Golden Lotus’ was pointing out that the ’Golden Lotus’ is the ’first extraordinary book,’ not an ’obscene book’; it’s a work expressing societal criticism, exposing the decadence and depravity of bureaucratic elites, condemning the sins of wealth and lust, sympathizing with the suffering of the lower classes, and holds a certain philosophical and cognitive value; he affirms the aesthetic value and artistic features of ’Golden Lotus,’ thereby establishing it as the foremost of China’s four great novels. He believes, as long as people claim ’Golden Lotus’ is an obscene book, they only see its obscene parts."

Xu Chunliang thought it was unexpected that Ye Qingya had such deep insight into ’Golden Lotus.’

Ye Qingya and he met eyes, her cheeks flushed a little, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Xu Chunliang said, "I admire how knowledgeable Sister Qingya is."

Ye Qingya thought, where did this guy go with his thoughts? It’s partly her own fault, talking about ’Golden Lotus’ with him. Knowing that Xu Chunliang didn’t have good thoughts about it, she couldn’t point it out, so she quickly changed the subject, saying, "I don’t deserve it."

At this moment, He Wanying called, but it was actually Wang Jianming who learned that Ye Qingya had arrived and invited her to gather at his home in the evening. He specifically mentioned that she should bring Xu Chunliang along.

Ye Qingya’s first thought was to refuse, but seeing Xu Chunliang, she changed her mind. Wang Jianming is now the top leader in Dongzhou. Helping to connect Xu Chunliang with him would be very beneficial for Xu Chunliang.

Ye Qingya told Xu Chunliang about this matter, and Xu Chunliang understood her good intentions. Although Ye Qingya was not someone within the system, her background decided her stature. She naturally knew how to utilize political resources, and what moved Xu Chunliang was that she offered these resources to him without charge.

At this time, Qiao Rulong was standing at the top of Hidden Dragon Mountain. From here, looking north, he could overlook the Dongzhou Museum, accompanied by two main leaders of the Cultural and Tourism Bureau.

Director Li Yushan pointed northward, "President Qiao, look, down the mountain is Dongzhou Museum and Qianlong’s Imperial Palace. There’s an east-west road between them and Hidden Dragon Mountain. Our suggestion is to dig a tunnel underneath, build a plaza above, and restore parts of the mountain so that the three scenic areas are connected."

Qiao Rulong nodded, "This plan is still very feasible. The attractions in Dongzhou are too scattered, like scattered pearls, and we need to find a string to tie these attractions together."

Xiao Dong said, "The tunnel issue has been debated many times, mainly considering the Han Dynasty quarry site on the west side of the museum."

Qiao Rulong said, "This is not an issue. Construction and preservation can proceed simultaneously, avoiding the site as much as possible."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!